Aural Spiral #1

Aural Spiral #1

Aural Spiral #1 is the first in a series of compositions which are inspired by Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty. In this study, the imagined ambient surroundings of the original installation site have been loosely rendered in synthesized sound. A photograph of the actual Spiral Jetty has been transmuted into sound through the use of a computer program. The rhythmic pulsing of water and wind lays the foundation for the first appearance of the jetty aural event. With each subsequent appearance, the duration parameter of the event is half as long as the preceding one, accelerating to the point of spiral origin. Finally the spiral submerges, sinking into obscurity beneath the pulsing waves.

Aural Spiral 1 was part of the concerts Spanning the I-95 and Transfigurations in New York City.